WASHINGTON – Congressional Democrats promised yesterday to work with President-elect Bush – but vowed to first fix the crummy voting machines that sparked the Florida fiasco.

“There is deep feeling . . . that the problems we saw in the electoral system need to be solved,” said Democratic Senate Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota.

“I think there will be a huge bipartisan support for that effort.”

Daschle also warned that while he’s eager to cooperate with the Republican majority, he expects a say in how power is shared now that the Senate is split 50-50.

There must be “an honest attempt at honest compromise” – not “my way or the highway,” Daschle said in his first remarks since Al Gore bowed out.

Top House Democrat Dick Gephardt of Missouri sounded the same message, even though the GOP has a 220-211 edge, insisting that “genuine compromise means having a true give and take.”

Meanwhile yesterday, both sides of the lame-duck Congress put the finishing touches on a budget deal, and Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) returned to the Senate after seven months on the campaign trail.

The federal budget for next year, which was supposed to be approved by Oct. 1, amounts to another win for President Clinton, who looks set to force Republicans into accepting his spending ideas.

Next week, Congress is likely to vote for funding increases in education and health programs, though there may be a cut in a few other programs to appease conservatives.

In his first full day back in the Senate, Lieberman – who loses his Secret Service protection in a few days – went to the floor to thank colleagues and praise Bush and Gore.

In an interview later, Lieberman said “unlimited opportunities” await Gore, but now that the election is over, the two-term senator feels free to embrace his own issues.

“If I was a senator and a voucher bill that I liked came up, I would support it,” said Lieberman, who also predicted his early support for Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain’s campaign-finance bill.

Daschle – who met this week with Republican leader Trent Lott about sharing committees that control the budget, confirmations of appointments, and the schedule – also hinted at outfoxing GOPers.

On Jan. 3, when new members like Sen. Hillary Clinton are sworn in, the Senate will be split down the middle: 50-50.

Since Bush and Vice President-elect Dick Cheney aren’t sworn in until Jan. 20, for 17 days in January any tie votes in the Senate will be settled by Gore, who by law casts the tie-breaking vote in the Senate.

“I will be the majority leader for those 17 days,” Daschle proclaimed.